Random Things

I'm in love with our playroom right now. It gets disastrously messy but the girls are playing together in there a lot. They like me to be in there but don't mind if I'm working or reading. They just want me to sit in the corner and keep them company. It feels like a whole new phase of life. They play together and fight together and bake pretend cookies. They have both turned into totally different little people recently.

New Fish likes to shake her head no at me but she can't do it without shaking most of her body. It's funny. She wants to wear necklaces everyplace and carry a purse full of small toys.

Red Fish is talking up a storm lately. One of her speech therapist told me today that her progress is truly amazing and I was so thrilled to hear it from someone who knows what they are talking about. Red Fish has become super helpful lately. She is suddenly old enough to really follow directions well and to remember how to help with certain small tasks. She is so sweet about it. She is also getting really good at speaking politely by using please, thank you etc.

Today at her preschool they had a speech integration specialist come talk to the parents. They demonstrated some simple techniques for helping stimulate the kids. They painted one of their feet and made a print. They had the kids play with pumpkin guts, soapy water, sand, slime etc. Then they gave us a list of activities to do at home. It kind of cracked me up because if a little dirt and paint is all it takes, I think our life is one big sensory activity pretty much. It was a nice feeling though because it just reaffirms how Red Fish was meant to be our child. If sensory integration is what she needs to progress- sensory activities are what she is going to get whether I'm aware of it or not.

It has been interesting doing art projects with a second child. New Fish is picking things up even faster because she has her idolized older sister to copy. Sometimes Red Fish has been coming up with the projects and then teaching New Fish how to do things. Yesterday, they scribbled papers with washable markers and then painted over them in water to smear the color.

Also, Two Fish and I have recently become cub scout leaders. I think we were called so we can learn how to relate to kids in the nine year old age bracket. Turns out that I don't relate very well to them thus far. I'm good with the small kids and okay with teenagers but I think it will do me some good to spend some time with the middle ages. It's interesting trying to learn how to teach them small projects and goals. Any and all tips or den meeting ideas are welcome from my fellow cub scout leaders out there in blogland. Tonight we did first aid and my brother J came over to help. Red Fish and New Fish assume that they are also cub scouts and they hung on J's every word. They are going to be practicing CPR on their baby dolls, I'm sure. Red Fish was a little bummed that she couldn't do the chest compressions hard enough on the mannequin to make it's heart beat. She was looking for his sternum and stacking her hands exactly as directed though. It was pretty cute.

So that's it. Just random things from my busy, crazy life.